Al Ahly needed an extra 10 minutes to beat FUS Rabat 76–71 at home and top the 2026 Sahara Conference that concluded in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday. This was the second game of the 2026 BAL season to be decided in overtime, and the second in BAL history to be decided in double overtime. Following a 57-57 score at the end of regulation and a 63-63 tie in the first overtime, Al Ahly forced FUS Rabat into three turnovers in the final five minutes to finally secure victory and finish top of the conference with a 4–1 win–loss record, while FUS Rabat finished third with a 3–2 record. Zack Lofton and Malek Abdelgoward both scored 17 points to lead the Egyptian champions. FUS Rabat's 22 turnovers compared to Al Ahly's 13 were a significant factor in the outcome of the game. The last time Al Ahly and FUS Rabat met in the BAL was in the 2024 seeding round of the playoffs in Kigali, where the Moroccan champions prevailed 89-78. Therefore, winning their 2026 Sahara Conference encounter mattered not only for ranking purposes, but also for the head-to-head history between these two Northern African giants. The signs of a hard-fought game emerged when the two sides ended the opening quarter tied at 10–10, and reached halftime tied at 24–24. Although uncertainty hung in the air, Al Ahly used a strong third quarter to establish an 11-point lead, which FUS Rabat quickly erased by outscoring their opponents 19-11 and forcing the first overtime. The two sides traded blows throughout the additional 10 minutes, but FUS Rabat shot themselves in the foot by turning the ball over seven times during this period. When Kuany Atem Kuany fouled out in the first overtime, FUS Rabat found it even more difficult to keep up with Al Ahly. Despite Mouhamadou Diagne's efforts, swatting six Al Ahly shots, grabbing rebounds and scoring five points, he had little or no impact on Al Ahly’s mission to finish top of the Sahara Conference. Another factor hindering FUS Rabat’s chances was Al Ahly’s 22 offensive rebounds, which they capitalised on by running the clock with masterful intelligence and scoring when possible. Even the packed Moulay Abdellah arena, mostly filled with FUS Rabat fans, could not stop the 2023 BAL champions. With their leading scorer, Kevin Murphy, sitting out for the second game in a row, Lofton and Abdelgowad emerged as their main scoring options, combining for 34 points. Former FUS Rabat star player Johnathan Jordan added 10 points off the bench for Al Ahly, while Mohamed Khalaf proved equally vital, also scoring 10 points off the bench. Anthony Pritchard led FUS Rabat with a team-high 14 points off the bench. Will Perry, Soufiane Benmhine, Badr Azouga and Kuany Kuany all scored in double figures, finishing with 12, 11, 10 and 10 points respectively. The 57–57 result at the end of regulation was the lowest in any BAL game this season. With Conference games done, the quarterfinal draw of BAL playoffs in Kigali has been decided as follows: Petro de Luanda (Angola) Vs Dar City (Tanzania) Al Ahly Ly (Libya) Vs Club Africain (Tunisia) Al Ahly (Egypt) Vs Ville de Dakar (Senegal) RSSB Tigers (Rwanda) Vs FUS Rabat (Morocco)
